This time, this project seemed to be the most impossible of all. By the way it still goes on because of some reasons. All the factors and circumstances influenced me during the project since the very beginning, in Cherkassy. I had to make changes in myself just to be a part of a team. Impossibly difficult mission started from the very first team meeting. I thought that was hard time but I had no idea what the difficulties were. The preparations were getting more and more complicated, I felt scared. Everything soon changed, the team united and it was easier to see myself as a part of a group. God started changing me while being at home; I should say it was painful and unpleasant as it was difficult to completely change your attitude to things you apprehended differently in a short period of time. I am grateful to God for every member of our team who went through all these impossible tests…

When we were far away from home, I had different emotions and experiences, but the most difficult thing was to learn, I mean it was complicated to apply immediately all the lessons God was teaching me in real life. Support, misunderstanding, the warmth of the hearts, gratitude, admiration, difficulties, lessons, unity and disagreements, tiredness and supply of energy from each other. I felt and experienced so much. Every person, scent, taste, feeling became inalienable part of my life. This project changed my life. I am sure these are not temporary emotions, but God’s obvious work. I am only human, it will not be easy to change everything, but I will try and do my best, I hope that changes that happened within me will be seen in my life…

When I have hard times, I will remember the trip to Nepal, and these memories will add strength and bring me back to the groove.

I want to thank David and his family officially for the support; I would like say “thanks” to every member of our team and to all people who supported this project with prayers and funds.

This impossible project fulfilled very important mission of my heart and my whole life…

Children are my inspiration…

I grew up in a family where there were many children. And I think my mother gave me this love for children, maybe even on some subconscious level. She taught me to be attentive, compassionate and creative towards children of different ages. Except for my brothers and sisters, my parents gathered the children from the neighbourhood and thought up different activities, so that they didn’t wander cold dirty streets trying to find adventures while their parents are out of the house. We used to have 10 or more children from the neighbourhood for the lunch. Some of them were from problem-free families, but some didn’t see their parents for several days, that’s why they lived at our place for some time. By these noble deeds my parents taught me to feel children’s needs, my interest to them grew. At that time my family hadn’t heard about Christ. Sometimes I had difficulties when children asked me: “Where does good come from? Why are some people so evil?” Because I didn’t know, I used to answer like that: “children are brought up in different families, and when they grow up, the upbringing starts showing”. I really wanted children who lack parental attention to have some moral principles. But I didn’t know where to take those principles.

When I started going to church, I began to see things differently. I was confident in the sense of life, and my moral principles totally changed. The understanding of need in Christ helped me and gave fundamental foundation for children’s ministry, serving children and their families.

Taking part in different children projects, I learn more and more from children themselves how to draw their attention and interest to witness and sow good seed on their perfect and ready soils. Everything that has the connection with children attracts me powerfully, and this project is not an exception, maybe the perfect option.

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

Work with children changes my life, children are my inspiration! I am sure that through this project God will fulfill His plan for my life, and for the lives of people we will work with and share our love and hearts.

I hope that this project needs me, but I need it a lot more. In the life of every person there are difficult moments which are difficult to bear when you are alone. We as Christians need Christ’s support and help. God sends children in my life, and only me who influences them in a positive way, but they have a great impact on me, they change my mood, my view of different life situations. At the moment I feel that I have an extreme need to take part in the project, because many things happen in my life and I understand I cannot cope with them by myself. God has His decisions for everything, all our problems are just tests of how much we are faithful to Him. I definitely want to be faithful to Him always whatever the circumstances may be.

Participating in other projects I realized that when you fulfill God’s will, you join in the spiritual fight with evil forces that are not happy with a fact we are Christians, we please God and help others to find the truth. And because of that it’s not easy to participate in similar projects, everyone suddenly has so many troubles and problems which need to be solved and are of urgent importance. As I mentioned I had complicated circumstances. But the Lord is wise and strong, He arranges everything the way we cannot predict. Our task is to stay faithful to Him.

Deuteronomy 31:8
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

This projects needs people who through obstacles will come to the victory with God’s help. I need this project because it will change my life, I want to glorify God once again through it…!

Air plane is landing Nepal airport… Lots of excitement is in the eyes and different thoughts-  in the mind. As day by day God’s kingdom is coming more and more and not because of the time passing by but mainly because of our understanding, perception,  response of our  inner world.

The first step on the ground …  The first word in Nepali: “Namasti”, which means Hello. Then bus… and you are in the small air port of Kathmandu (which is the capital of Nepal). From the very moment the atmosphere attracts you, smiles on peoples’ faces. In a few minutes you are deepened into the real life of the country. Contrasts of the life makes you to feel uncomfortable. And some other feeling adds to this one. You feel safe at the moment when there are many other people in the world who do not have home or food, sick people. And I hate this feeling, I cannot get used to it. And actually next morning when I woke up I started to write the letter to God and asked Him to give me understanding how I can comprehend it. I was so surprised how my emotional responses worked out. 

Living conditions are not so important when you are brining Kingdom of God though the place (hotel) where we stayed was like a big surprise for me. Right the day we arrived we stared to have contacts with kids and parents which I think was good for our benefits.

These three days I spent  taking care of children revealed me more of God’s love and care as well as His Holy authority and wisdom. I saw the glimpse of God’s Kingdom through the kids and their parents. As our group was working with the children of 3-4 ages I noticed how children could not live without their parents and how they both were interdependent. It amazed me so much and reminded at the same time that we are also the children of God and we can’t live without our Savior and that we should grow at this correlation. As always there were hard moments and fun moments, sad and wonderful ones. I felt God’s guidance and support  of Holy Spirit. God is on our side we are not alone, not abandon any more. That’s why we need to share God’s love with other people, other nations and never forget about those who are close.

During the project I have many interesting experiences. Among them was the experience of leadership and partnership. It was good that we had different age groups  and different activities for each group. I did appreciate the ability of our group to be flexible. Each person used the gift given to him by God. Union of our strength and abilities helped us to be like a communion, the whole body.

Nepal’s mission (project) that we have just finished influenced my way of thinking bringing many of new evaluations of new things God’s revealed to me through this mission. Life seems keep turning to the direction you’ve never thought about. God opens you new things every day. It’s not always easy as God’s shifts your standards showing how unworthy they are.

Sometimes (if not always) Jesus reply was controversial, He said:”No one can come into Kingdom of God unless he becomes like a child… ”(Luke 18:17). So this mission makes me thinking of this message more and more.

Dear friends, I’m grateful to you for your support and prayers. You were there in this mission with me down in my heart. I could sense it. When I had difficult times I was thinking of you and I know that you were thinking of me. 

Working with children all day long was not an easy task. We often had to be flexible and change our plans 10 min before the session starts even though we had done a lot of planning back in Ukraine. However, it was great to see God filling us with strength and energy day after day, providing us with whatever resources we needed in the right time. Whenever I felt I couldn’t make another move or say another word, I would suddenly feel a new wave of energy and could easily move on. God has been really good to each one of us throughout the trip and I’m sure He had different lessons for each one of us to learn.

We spent the last two days decorating rooms in a Handicapped Children’s Centre. It was really touching to see the workers looking after the kid’s with so much care and love. I kept asking myself whether I could do something like that – leave my comfort zone and move to a place like Nepal to serve handicapped kid’s. I’m not sure. Through the people I’ve met both at the conference and in the centre I’ve seen how service can be not just a one off action to feel good about yourself, but rather a lifestyle.

I’m still tired and exhausted after 2 long flights and 12 unforgettable hours in Delhi airport, but I’m so grateful to God for the experience I’ve had, for the lessons He has taught me and for the privilege to serve others. I believe it’s not the end of the project, because God’s work in my heard is not over. Mission Impossible was not just about doing something and then forgetting all about it. Right now I feel challenged to put whatever God has shown me into action. There really is not much use of such trips unless they have a lasting impact on your future life. Mission Impossible is basically not over for me – I’m still learning, analysing things and praying the Lord would teach me to be a better servant and a better child.

I can say for sure that God is wonderful; for Him there are no limits. This project only was possible because God had chosen people who prayed about me, supported me and believed that I would be useful to the project and it would teach me a lot.

Ten days flew by like an instant. Here we were in Ukraine – winter, cold and in 7-8 hours we found ourselves in Nepal, where there was warm and sunny weather and where everything, absolutely everything was different to what I was used. But God is the same everywhere: once again I was convinced of the fact that God was faithful, He was faithful to His words and promises. He is an amazing Creator. It was not possible not to admire the beauty of the mountains and hills, the night sky, the Moon. Each one of us got physically and emotionally tired but God gave strength, energy and enthusiasm to keep going.

What did I personally contribute into this grand project?

Human beings often go the limits. This is true for me too. When everything is fine, I tend to think that something goes wrong as I have no problems or difficulties. When everything is complicated, I think something is not okay as I don’t have the easy way to do it. This time, during this missionary trip God was telling me that the one should do what he/she had to do. God was teaching me humility and patience. There were moments when I didn’t understand why I made such a long way, put so much efforts and I didn’t feel any satisfaction from the work. However those thoughts were for more part selfish. I realized that we came to serve and not to be served; I needed to do what was planned in advance and do with sincere joy.

God also showed me that I have to keep on improving myself, to become better for Him, there is no limit of perfection.

It was a great inspiration to see people that sacrificed the comfort of their homes and moved to the dusty capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, with their families, loved this country and its people and served the Lord there.

God knows every one of us, He knows what we need at a particular moment. He prepares us for something bigger. I understood that despite the circumstances we shouldn’t give up. If we keep on fighting, God will be near; He will give strength and support. If we lose heart, God still will be near as a Comforter.

What will be next: what does God prepare for me in future?

Anyway, I believe that each one us was chosen to go to this trip by
God long time ago and had been prepared for this before we went.
Although some of us might knew their purpose of going to Nepal long
time before the trip actually happened and some might found the reason
while already been here still some may understand and see God’s plan
for this trip in their lives in future but God knows exactly why He
chose each one of us. And I am sure no matter what we did and how we
feel we succeeded or not the seeds has been planted through everything
we did or just being at certain place at certain time. Thus I am sure
God used each one of us in a special way.

 
This last week has been very challenging at a personal level, and a struggle in many ways, but it has been uplifting for me to see God equip me to continue with the work we set out to do, in spite of these difficulties. Even when I felt exhausted physically, mentally, or in whatever which way, it was amazing to find that I was repeatedly given the energy and resources to help to enthuse and challenge the young people whenever it was required.

 
I have felt re-envisioned in my understanding of the importance of investing in young people. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the week for me was the discussion time with the teenage girls in my group. Even despite the time restrictions (the length of the conference was such a short time to be able to get to know the young people) these times of discussion were very open and honest, and were a vehicle for the girls to talk about issues and concerns relating to their lives, and to pray together and talk about these questions together. These times reaffirmed my concern for young people in general, and within the church, who deserve and need investment during the instable times of their teenage years.

 
Whilst it is too early to properly reflect on the very varied experiences and emotions of this trip, I am sure that God has been teaching me valuable lessons, particularly in relation to my strengths, weaknesses and perceptions. I was also hugely blessed by being surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation, and in understanding and seeing a little more of His magnitude and graciousness.

Having enough activities to keep young children interested can be a challenge but Valya had prepared more than enough. Most of the children were not used to being way from their parents so the fact that they stayed with us for at least four hours a day was a real achievement. I hope this means that they sensed our love for them and our desire to make their week fun. When you do not know children it can be difficult to judge in advance what is best to do with them, but our team remained flexible and managed to adapt the sessions according to their needs. Personally I now feel even more confident around young children and more equipped to care for them. Within our team, our skills complemented each other perfectly. The second day was particularly tiring and looking back I am not sure how I would have got through it were it not for God sustaining me. I know many people have been praying whilst I have been on this trip and I have felt the power of that especially during those times when the energy has been lacking somewhat.

Previously I also wrote of my desire to get to know Viktor’s friends better during this trip. I am glad to say that they are now also my friends. The team made me feel so welcome that I was soon at ease among them. I am not a person who likes being put on the spot but they were so encouraging I could be myself without worrying about what they thought of me. They are kind, gentle and compassionate, always looking out for each other, and a real testimony to how God has been working in their lives. I look forward to seeing, and hopefully working, with them again soon.

Generally, remaining flexible to the parents needs was the most enjoyable. I hope this attitude continues as I return to Budapest. Though I do not yet know what I will be doing, I know it is all too easy to get caught up in myself and what I need to do, and that I sometimes forget about the needs others may have. I hope I remember the benefits and the joy for all concerned when I serve God through serving others.

Here I am in Kathmandu Nepal in the midst of January (13th January which is a New Year Day according to the old Slavic calendar that is still well celebrated in Ukraine and I am sure Russia and Belarus also) sitting in the beautiful green garden listening to bird’s singing and enjoying the cool breeze of the evening in the completely different culture to one we have in Ukraine.

I must admit that when I was going to this place I expected myself to be completely exhausted. But at the end of all hard work done at the conference and at the centre for disabled children I find myself inspired and amazed and completely astonished by God. What a great and absolutely hard to grasp our God is! His ways are not our ways. He does things the way He wants it and sees it. He looks deep into our hearts knowing all of our longings, failures, fears, things that make us happy and He skillfully mixes challenges with enjoyments. What a great God He is! At the beginning of that trip I asked God to show me the glimpse of His kingdom… and experience more of His power…

So here I am (as I already mentioned) in summer when it is winter, feeling like I am in one country while I’m in the other, worshiping God in the country where they worship everything but God alone, had worked being rewarded in advance, among the group of people being alone with God, amazed and astonished by the power of God. He truly knows and does what is good and He never hurries and is never late. Amazing, He is loving, caring, leading, changing, equipping, teaching, comforting, challenging.
When I look back on everything that happened during these past 8 days it brings a great joy to be a tool in God’s hands to serve all the missionaries whom we met at that conference who work in this country. I am sure it is very hard to be a missionary in this part of the world because of all the believes they have and because of all the spiritual contradiction there. And it is such a joy to realize that I was used by God to give this people a time to relax, to think of each other and enjoy each other’s company, to have rest, to listen and hear God, and to be inspired by Him. For in this hard, seemingly hopeless, insecure, stressful country they surely need that inspiration. It was a great pleasure to spend time with these children: they were so open to discuss the truths written in the Bible, so creative during the craft time and so enjoying the games time! And it was so enjoyable (for me personally) to put little (not even a year old) boy Oscar to sleep when his parents were at the evening activities. Praise the Lord He used me. I am glad that this whole trip wasn’t about me it was all about these servants of God and about all people who live in this country. I admire these missionaries. And I’d love to serve them more if there is a chance to. Also during this trip work done at the centre for disabled children was a not forgettable experience. Seeing these children brought tears to my eyes and pain to my heart. I felt great respect towards people who work with them. I am sure it is very hard. May God bless them in their lives and the work they are doing. It is pleasing to realize that we helped these children with at least something (in our case with painting the walls of their rooms in some kind of paint that kills germs or prevents accumulation of it).

God keeps everything under His control and is ready to help change this world trough us if we just let Him to use us in it, if we just are ready to and are eager to open our hearts and give Him a chance to lead us wherever He wants us to be and do things He wants to be done.